As Baltimore City officials nailed “No Trespassing” signs to trees bordering a homeless encampment along Guilford Avenue in downtown Baltimore on Thursday, Likisha Lewis, draped in a heavy overcoat to protect her from a cold rain, sat down on a piece of broken wood and cried.
“I?m not leaving unless they find me somewhere to store my stuff,” said Lewis, 42, who lived in a makeshift tent covered with plastic sheets and tattered blankets.
The city signs also gave notice that the dozen or so improvised structures built from wood scraps and plastic would be razed Saturday, further displacing about 30 homeless men and women. The move was deemed necessary after Baltimore City Fire Department officials declared the community a fire hazard.
“This is all because one person started a fire,” Lewis said, as she rummaged around for a pair of socks.
Representatives from the city?s Homeless Services Department were on hand to take residents to shelters and provide counseling. But plans to dismantle their shelters were greeted with disbelief and anger by those who lived there.
“It was OK to live here before; what?s wrong with it now?” asked James Harvey, 51. “If you go to the shelters, you get harassed by police. This is my home … I want to stay.”
Despite the protests, city officials held their ground, saying the encampment was simply unsafe.
“There are people lighting candles and cooking with fire,” said Fire Department spokesman Kevin Cartwright. “You have to consider the safety of the people here.”
“We?re doing everything right for these people,” said Sterling Clifford, spokesman for Mayor Shelia Dixon. “The Department of Public Works is offering free storage for personal items, and the Department of Housing is exploring temporary shelter. Emergency shelter will be provided.”
The area was inspected by the Fire Department on Tuesday, resulting in concerns that the haphazard structures could create a swift and deadly blaze. A report recommended the structures be torn down, and the people moved to shelters.
Residents at the now-condemned encampment blamed a bonfire started at an encampment across the street for Thursday?s action.
“They started a fire, and the Fire Department put it out and told them not to do it anymore,” said Lewis. “And now we have to leave.”
